Category Archives: birth

I can help you, through a proper nutrition, especially during the last trimester.

This book is specifically designed for the last trimester of pregnancy with 20 healthy and easy recipes packed with nutritional benefits to prepare you to achieve your physiological birth goals.

It is divided into three parts:

Nutritional information

15 recipes. Among these, three recipes should be chosen each week.

5 tea and infusion recipes for everyday, for the absorption of vitamins.

A specific nutrition during the last trimester is a very important aspect. Why? The body needs certain nutrients to soften and dilate (open) the cervix, to sustain efficient contractions and to minimize postpartum blood loss.

You need to know which nutrients to increase or decrease to prepare for birth. Women lacking these nutrients are more likely to go overdue, endure longer labor, experience more pain or incur complications.

Labor Progress

We often talk about Labor Progress. Have you ever heard of it? Do you know what that means?

By progress we mean that a cervical softening and effacement occurs. The contractions remain of a certain intensity and frequency such as to facilitate the descent and birth of the baby. To understand why certain type of nutrients are needed we must also understand which hormones come into play during labor.

During pregnancy, the level of maternal progesterone is high, to prevent the uterus from contracting. However, towards the end of pregnancy, the level of estrogen increases and that of progesterone decreases. At the same time the body increases its ability to respond to the circulating oxytocin.

Oxytocin, also called the love hormone, helps in the contraction of the uterus, in the maternal bond, the letdown reflex (that makes the milk available to your baby), and to recover after delivery.

The production of prostaglandin also increases during the last weeks of pregnancy. The prostaglandin needs to soften the cervix, allowing it to become more reactive to birth processes. It also has a softening effect on the pelvic ligaments, along with the relaxin, allowing the pelvis to open more effectively during labor.

The pain experienced at the beginning of labor is signaling that the parents needs to find a safe place to birth their baby, a place that is quiet, calm and poses no threat to either parent or baby.

Stress during labor causes the release of catecholamines, or stress hormones, mainly epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline and noradrenaline). Both the maternal parent and their baby release these hormones during labor.

The stress hormones are antagonists of the oxytocin but they are not exclusively negative. They have several benefits to both the parent and the baby:

Assists the baby to breathe after the birth (the hormones enabling the newborn to keep his lungs expanded.)

The baby maintains its energy levels until the mother’s full milk supply comes in several days after the birth.

Increase the alertness and responsiveness of the baby.

Increased capacity to manage oxygen deprivation during labor.

Causes an increase in blood flow to the baby.

Improved immune response.

Also, the pain itself is believed to be the trigger to release endorphins, our internal natural pain-relieving hormones. When people are in an environment where they do not feel safe or have had medications to prevent them feeling any pain at all, they do not release oxytocin and endorphins in the same way.

An environment with soft lights, silence and with people you trust and love, is not the only thing you can do to experience a gentle birth. Nutrition is certainly an important element.

Knowing how hormones work during childbirth, through the inclusion of the right nutrients, we are able, for example, to improve the transport and increase of oxytocin to the receptors of the uterus.

Are you looking for a quick recipeor a Low Carb snack?

Each recipe contains these useful icons to help you choose.

How do I get one?

You deserve expert guidance through one of the most important times in your life. The Natural Power of Birth honors your desires and respects your wishes, while professionally informing you of all of your options and giving you the emotional support you need. I’m honored to be of service to you and your family.

Let’s talk about how I can help you plan and prepare for the next step on your journey!

The first meeting is always freeand there is no obligation. Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation.

A 1998 article in the American Journal of Nursing suggested that 1% of people, or 1 in 100, do not experience any pain during labor or childbirth. But where did this info come from? Is this statistic accurate?

I always suggest to my clients to write the story of their childbirth. A written birth story is a wonderful way of recording your birth as so much of what happens is forgotten over time.
For Aniko and her new family, I have had the honor of being a postpartum doula. I gave them support during the following weeks, after their return home.

Aniko got the time to write about her birth and gave me the consent to share her beautiful story, a positive one that could inspire other parents.
Thanks Aniko for sharing your story with us all.

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The 10 Best foods for the last trimester & labor!

Nutrition plays an important role in achieving birth goals. The body needs certain nutrients to soften and dilate (open) the cervix, to sustain efficient contractions and to minimize blood loss postpartum. Knowing what foods to increase or add is a simple way to optimize nutrients needed to prepare for birth.